Hi, I've been listening to a lot of discussion on the GIC cards and I think we all can agree ours are not super powerful. I do think though, some of them aren't bad and will be beneficial to play. Here's my rankings and review. http://midwestwargaming.com/butchers-impression-guild-identity-cards/

So, my wife likes to draw but she hates doing commissions. However, each year she draws me a commission for my birthday. Previous years I had her draw Warmachine art but this year since I've been playing more GB (and rapidly consumed all the fiction) I asked for a GB commission.
Here's my gift
She even added symbolism with her flower choices.
Here's the flower meanings:
bluebells (two clusters, on either side) : humility
oak-leaf geranium (under his arm): true friendship
zinnia (the cluster on the foot of the grave): thoughts of absent friendspink
carnation (on top of grave): remembrance
hyacinth (under and behind his head): games and sport
blue hyacinth: constancy (faithful, dependable)
violet hyacinth: regret
yellow hyacinth: jealousy

New players often make the mistake of trying to build an all-out Killy team and bench Friday.
More experienced usually include Friday in the lineup but utilize her as strictly as a goal-scorer who can also reposition the cat.
Really experienced players utilize her goal scoring, cat calling and incredibly powerful ability to set up take-outs.
Here's an article illustrating how Friday makes take-outs so much easier. http://midwestwargaming.com/its-friday-or-the-highway/

I found this episode really enjoyable because it differed so much with my opinion of the game and I enjoy hearing different viewpoints.
Here's my pro's of why I am on Team Multiple Guilds and not Team More Depth for Guilds
Easier to create clearly defined themes for factions.
Less models for a single faction make it less likely that one of your existing models will be invalidated by a new, strictly better model.
Less cost for faction-completionist to own multiple guilds.
New guilds bring more people into the game than a strong new model for an existing faction does.
An anecdote:
In my meta there is a farmer named Reesch who plays WMH and 40k. My brother mentioned Guild Ball to him one day but he declined. Cost wasn't an issue for him, but time was his biggest barrier. He didn't have time for a third wargame.
When the Farmers team was spoiled my brother tried once more to persuade him and upon seeing models themed after his profession he immediately asked for a demo. And of course, after a single demo of the game he was sold.
Summary
Everyone's opinions are based on their owns experiences. I believe you guys have X-Ray vision into the meat and bones of balance and are seeing some malaise among fellow top-tier players which reinforce your opinions. Whereas, I am a filthy casual who used to work at a game store so my opinions are not based on game balance but on game growth. We live in the golden age of wargaming and it is difficult for companies to carve out a player base in this highly competitive market.
Similar to Farmer Reesch I initially resisted Guild Ball because I already played WMH and I didn't have time for a 2nd wargame. However, at Adepticon I played one demo and I was hooked. The game really does sell itself, but the hard part is getting people to overcome their resistance.
New guilds get people to overcome their new-game-resistance because the themes are relatable to real people: Hunters, Fishermen, Butchers, Masons... etc. Obviously not everyone is a butcher or a mason in real life but how many gamers do you think are out there that got excited about Guild Ball because they heard there was a team themed around brewing beer? Because Guild Ball is themed around real life occupations it is more relatable and creates lots of nostalgic triggers. As a blogger I will snap-buy any new guild that is themed around writing and my brother, who used to blacksmith a lot in MMORPG's is pumped for the new Blacksmith team.

You are the second person I've seen whose commented about Brewer blunders
I assumed everyone was going to rip into me for my neanderthal-Butchers-coaching. This delights me and I will be sure to tell Mike what a donkey he is

Saturday, 12pm, Geek City Games in North Liberty Iowa.
We will be having a 3 round standard tournament. We have a prize kit from Steam Forged, with other prizes possible. Cost is $10.
Unfortunately with the busy summer season, we have to share the store with other events that day, we have our space limited to 12 people. So let me know if you can make it, and I’ll put you on the list.
Clocks start at 12:00pm be there about a half hour before to register.